Regional category, Page 107
CSX workers at site of damaged rail lines near passenger station in Connellsville
CSX workers were at the site of an apparent derailment of freight cars about 200 yards south of the Amtrak passenger station at Water Street in Connellsville. According to CSX spokesperson Sheriee Bowman, at approximately 8:40 a.m. on Saturday, two boxcars derailed within the CSX Connellsville yard. The railcars remained...
Historical society, author will mark 75th anniversary of Donora smog disaster
Seventy-five years ago this October, residents in the Mon River mill town of Donora noticed something wrong with the air, something different from the typical steel-industry smog that characterized the region at the time. The nearby U.S. Steel Donora Zinc Works had released two dangerous gases, hydrogen fluoride and sulfur...
Prime Stage Theatre to host open auditions for upcoming season
Prime Stage Theatre officials will host open auditions for their 27th season Sept. 16-17 in Pittsburgh. Auditions for the “Season of Courage and Discovery” will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 16 and 4-9 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Prime Stage Studio, 840 West Saw Mill Run Boulevard in...
Local, state, federal officials to mark 22nd anniversary of Flight 93 crash on 9/11
Monday will mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, as well as the crash of United Flight 93, meant for an additional attack that was foiled by the plane’s passengers. Local, state and federal officials will be in attendance at ceremonies...
Indiana County coroner identifies trapped quarry worker, rules death accidental
The Indiana County Coroner’s Office identified a quarry worker who died after becoming trapped in a limestone hopper on Friday, ruling the death accidental. First responders were called just before 10:30 a.m. to rescue Eric Matthew Komlosky, Sr., 39, of Indiana, who had become trapped at Ridge Limestone, a quarry...
Dr. Richard Moriarty, founder of Mr. Yuk sticker, dies at 83
When people found out Dr. Richard Moriarty was the man behind the Mr. Yuk sticker, they would say how the sticker saved them from drinking something that could have killed them. Or that the 1970s commercial, where a narrator with a menacing laugh warns kids that “Mr. Yuk is mean...
Feds: Nursing home operator trying to sell off assets prior to trial in labor caseVideo
Nursing home operators facing criminal and civil charges for health care fraud and unfair labor practices are now being accused by the federal government of trying to sell off assets prior to trial to avoid any financial judgments that may be imposed. Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services found a buyer for...
Police: Quarry worker dies after becoming trapped in limestone hopper
State police are investigating the death of an Indiana County quarry worker who died after becoming trapped in a limestone hopper Friday morning. First responders were called just before 10:30 a.m. to rescue a man who had become trapped at Ridge Limestone, a quarry on Coleman Road in Young Township....
Bedford County turnpike plaza to close gas pumps for eight-week maintenance project Monday
The gas pumps at the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s westbound North Midway Service Plaza in Bedford County will close on Monday. The pumps will be unavailable for about eight weeks while the fuel provider, 7-Eleven, replaces the underground fuel tanks, lines and dispensers, spokesperson Crispin Havener said in a statement. While there...
Saint Vincent professor seeks public participation in spotted lanternfly research
Saint Vincent professor and entomologist Michelle Duennes was walking the lots at a Steelers tailgate last year near Heinz Field. But she wasn’t looking for the perfectly grilled kielbasa. She was looking for spotted lanternflies. “We were also looking at the license plates of people who came from out-of-state,” Duennes...
Indiana man accused of threatening Homer-Center School District
An Indiana man was arrested Thursday after allegedly sending a threatening video to a Homer-Center student in which he was seen wielding a shotgun and indicating he was arriving at Homer-Center School District, state police at Indiana said. The suspect, Spencer T. Baker, 18, is accused of sending the video...
Officials, nurses hope new Pa. licensing program changes will help with staffing shortages
Amid ongoing nursing shortages, RNs and LPNs from other states will find it easier to begin working in Pennsylvania starting this week, as the state takes its first steps toward joining the Nurse Licensure Compact. The interstate agreement allows nurses to more easily take their licenses with them across state...
Edibles unsafe for Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, officials say
Officials tasked with monitoring the state’s medical marijuana program said this week edibles don’t belong in Pennsylvania’s marketplace. Concerns about safety, efficacy and legal enforcement gave members of the Medical Marijuana Advisory Program pause. Six abstained from voting on the recommendation at all during its Wednesday meeting. Only two members...
Morning Roundup: Man fatally shot in McKeesport, suspect arrested
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 7: Man killed in McKeesport shooting, police arrest suspect A man was shot and killed Wednesday night in McKeesport, and Allegheny County Police have filed homicide charges in connection with the shooting. Police said they responded to...
Cold front brings rain, cooler temps to Pittsburgh region
The heat wave that hovered over the Pittsburgh region for the past several days has come to end as a cold front has brought rain and cooler temperatures. The Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service said scattered showers will continue through Thursday morning. The service warns that visibility will...
Neuroscience Institute facility planned on Allegheny General Hospital campus
A five-story building at Allegheny General Hospital will be converted into a Neuroscience Institute for the acute treatment and long-term holistic management of neurological diseases. Construction at James and Hemlock streets on Pittsburgh’s North Side is underway and expected to be completed late next year. The project in the 80,000-square-foot...
West Virginia University faculty express symbolic no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia University faculty approved a symbolic motion on Wednesday expressing no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee as the university addresses a $45 million budget shortfall. The university is struggling with the financial toll of dwindling enrollment, revenue lost during the covid-19 pandemic and an increasing...
Pitt Seed program invests in projects proposed by faculty, staff
Boosting the teacher pipeline in Pennsylvania and helping marginalized students succeed in college are among the five projects that have been selected for investment by the University of Pittsburgh. The program, called Pitt Seed, provides internal financial support for pilot projects that have growth potential and could have direct impact...
Pittsburgh food bank warns of scammers after phony solicitations at Rib Fest
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is warning people of potential scammers who have been posing as food bank representatives at several large events, including Rib Fest last weekend on the North Shore. The food bank said Pittsburgh police are investigating potential fraud following several reports of people posing as...
State police in region investigated 153 crashes on Labor Day weekend
State troopers in three local troops were busy during the Labor Day weekend as they investigated five fatalities in four crashes, including ones in Allegheny, Fayette and Westmoreland, according to statistics released by the agency. That amounted to half of the fatalities on the roads statewide that were investigated by...
WVU cuts come into focus as no-confidence vote for President E. Gordon Gee is set for Wednesday
An expected decision by West Virginia University’s governing board on which academic programs to cut has come into sharper focus as a potential vote of no-confidence in president E. Gordon Gee looms Wednesday. The preliminary recommendations from WVU administrators involving two dozen academic departments were made public Aug. 11. They...
Striking workers returning to Wabtec’s Erie plant after new contract
Union workers are returning to Wabtec’s Erie plant this week after a 10-week strike. About 1,400 members of UE Locals 506 and 618 ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Pittsburgh-based locomotive manufacturer last week. “This contract represents a substantial improvement over what Wabtec had on the table in...
Geneva College to waive tuition for students from families earning under $70KVideo
Geneva College says it will waive undergraduate tuition starting next fall for students from households making less than $70,000 — the latest move by a small private campus in a tough higher education market to give price breaks based on family income. The private Christian college in Beaver Falls said...
Altoona woman chases fame after Pittsburgh porta-potty fight video goes viral
Don’t call her Dalanie. Call her Romper Stomper. An Altoona-bred college student is cashing in on her 15 minutes of fame after a viral video from country star Morgan Wallen’s Aug. 31 performance at PNC Park showed her violently defending her mother at the concert’s porta-potties. Dozens of clips of...
UPMC names new chief financial officer
UPMC has tapped Frederick Hargett as its executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Edward Karlovich. Hargett comes to UPMC from Novant Health, Inc., a Winston-Salem, N.C.-based health system that encompasses 16 medical centers, more than 1,900 physicians and outpatient surgery centers, rehabilitation programs, diagnostic imaging...
